During
the Croatian War of Independence, Luka Modric and
his family lived in the village of Modrici near Zadar
but they were forced to flee the area when he was
6 years old.

His father, Stipe, was in the Croatian army, and he
lost his grandfather in the fighting while his family
were refugees, living in a hotel on the island of
I near Zadar.

After a season with Dinamo Zagreb's youth side, he
was loaned out in 2003 to Zrinjski Mostar in the Premier
League of Bosnia and Herzegovina. During this spell,
he established his versatile style of play and became
the Bosnian and Herzegowinian League Player of the
Year while still only 18 years old.